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RE: [Distillers] Wood Chips

Tony, Yes, I intend charring and will report on that also. I m grilling today as it is Labor Day in the US. I have chips set asside to char when the grill

Message 1 of 13
, Sep 4, 2006

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Tony,

Yes, I intend charring and will report on that also.
I'm grilling today as it is 'Labor Day' in the US. I
have chips set asside to char when the grill it lit
today. (Ribeyes lightly seasoned and sweet potato over
hickory. Tossed salad with balsamic vinegar & extra
virgin olive oil vinegarette dressing. A chilled
medium plum wine.)
The ongoing trials will be reported of 1st week, 2nd
week, 1st 2nd and 3rd Month, then quartly up to the
year...
I have someone whose taste buds are more discerning
than mine to give evaluation. I will report his
findings.
I think that some of this will translate to my wines
as well. I don't brew beer but I'm sure the fruit and
nut woods might do for that.

> Congratulations on your experimentation! That's what
> it should all be about.
>
> Your result with Pecan were interesting and
> surprising. I'm afraid we don't
> get exotic trees like that here in England. You
> didn't mention Horse
> Chestnut - they are one of our most common trees.
> Oak isn't too far away and
> that will be my first trial.
>
> But surely charring any of these woods would have
> some affect?
>
> Tony
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:Distillers@yahoogroups.com]On
> Behalf Of link2d
> Sent: 04 September 2006 15:37
> To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Distillers] Wood Chips
>
> Wood Experiment
>
> The premise for this wood experiment is that I use
> woods for
> grilling and slow cook (BBQing). I have a feel
> (taste) for the
> transfer of smoked flavors into meats. I was
> wondering of the
> ability to transfer flavors into spirits of the same
> wood. The
> primary woods that I use are Hickory for grilling,
> Cherry, Lemon/
> Orange, Maple, and Pecan for slow cooking. I've
> added Live Oak,
> which is used in the fire place, to the mix for
> kicks and grins.
> Wood was freshly chipped from logs from the wood
> pile. Although the
> chips/splinters would be immersed in alcohol they
> were soaked in
> sodium metabisulphite solution. Chips used were not
> toasted or
> charred. That is the next phase of testing.
> A 19% ABV sugar wash was run though a 36" column
> with copper mesh
> packing. It ran off at 95%. The alcohol was
> diluted to 45% using
> distilled water. Filtering was not necessary but
> for the sake of
> this experiment it was run though Prestige Stone
> Carbon (activated
> 0.4 - 0.85 mm). The intent is for completely
> neutral spirit.
>
> Approximately 2 TBS were used per 1 Quart of 45%
> spirit. I
> typically use that amount of chips for 1 gallon.
> First week testing: Pictures are available. See
> Photos, `Woods
> Chips'
> 1. Cherry Wood- Light caramel color with a reddish
> hue. The wood
> flavor is very mild with a slight sweet aftertaste.
> I do not
> perceive tannin transfer or very slight. This may
> develop over time.
> 2. Maple- Some color transfer. More of a tint, not
> `water white'.
> Wood flavor almost not existent at this point. Some
> sweetness was
> present. No tannin perceived to have been
> transferred. The least
> flavor noted.
> 3. Lemon/Orange- (Both woods are intermingled on
> the wood pile. I
> am not able to tell the difference by appearance.)
> Color is a yellow
> hue. Slight fruit flavor (not citrus) transferred
> with a good finish
> that lingers. I think that this has promise as a
> stand alone
> flavoring but doubt that it will greatly influence
> other flavors if
> commingled.
> 4. Pecan- This is my greatest surprise. Caramel
> color. Strong
> pecan nut flavor as if sipping sweet pecan juice.
> Almost comes across
> as an aperitif. Tannin feel on the tongue is
> noted. I think that
> this has the best promise for blending. And this is
> just the first
> week.
> 5. Live Oak- Caramel color. Strong sweet wood
> flavor. Typical oak
> tannin perceived.
> 6. Hickory- Light caramel color. Very slight nutty
> flavor. Light
> tannin perceived. This may develop over time.
>
>
> Don't hesitate with comments, questions, or
> suggestions. (like this
> group would hesitate)
>
>
> Link
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Distillers list archives :
> http://archive.nnytech.net/
> FAQ and other information at
> http://homedistiller.org
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

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subsonic40grain

wrote: Your result with Pecan were interesting and surprising. I m afraid we don t ... Chestnut - they are one of our most common trees.

Message 2 of 13
, Sep 4, 2006

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<Anthony.Athawes@...> wrote:
Your result with Pecan were interesting and surprising. I'm afraid we
don't

> get exotic trees like that here in England. You didn't mention Horse

Chestnut - they are one of our most common trees. Oak isn't too far
away and that will be my first trial.

## Anthony! OMG you need a tree lesson! Aesculus Hippocastanun
(Horse Chestnut) is good for nothing except conker fights! Stick with
Oak for Gawds sake! P.S We do have Pecan here although rare - My tree
bible is by Alan Mitchell, do a search on Amazon and you will find it.
my one is ISBN 0-00-219213-6 :-)Buy it!!!

Link - your test is bl@@dy excellent! I like the fact that you use
neutral (like me) and age at 45%. (I age at 43% give or take). Other
than that my sugar wash turns out fab with the right wood. Zymurgy is
kinda making me think about grain mind....

I am going to try a test on Sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa). My
reasons for this are as follows. The wood has a large amount of
tannin and is traditionally used for fencing here as it doesn't rot
easily due to that.
It has a fabulous perfume when split (it splits real easy) and of
course the nuts are edible. It is not burnt much as it spits, but in
a logburner it is great. I had heard a French saying that barrels used
to be made of it, but I am unsure if this was true or not. Anyway, I
will give it a go following your recipe and post the result.

Oh, and I am going to tip a glass to that Crazy Oz as well. We had
even heard of him here, he made front page of the broadsheets. Here's
to you Crazy guy, better to live a day as a tiger than a lifetime as a
sheep. Or summat like that hic... ;-)Anyway, good on you.

subsonic40grain

It was annoying me. It was used for barrels for Balsamic vinegar, I knew I saw it somewhere. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut

Message 3 of 13
, Sep 4, 2006

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It was annoying me. It was used for barrels for Balsamic vinegar, I
knew I saw it somewhere.

Ah Link, Yer a man after me own heart. What are the chances a guy could arrange some kind of swap for some pecan wood? And would y happen to have some o

Message 4 of 13
, Sep 4, 2006

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Ah Link,

Yer a man after me own heart. What are the chances a guy could arrange some
kind of swap for some pecan wood? And would y' happen to have some o' that
Drambuie wood, too, while we're at it?

Zymurgy Bob, a simple potstiller

>From: "link2d" <link2d@...>
>Reply-To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
>To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Distillers] Wood Chips
>Date: Mon, 04 Sep 2006 14:36:37 -0000
>
>Wood Experiment
>
> The premise for this wood experiment is that I use woods for
>grilling and slow cook (BBQing). I have a feel (taste) for the
>transfer of smoked flavors into meats. I was wondering of the
>ability to transfer flavors into spirits of the same wood. The
>primary woods that I use are Hickory for grilling, Cherry, Lemon/
>Orange, Maple, and Pecan for slow cooking. I've added Live Oak,
>which is used in the fire place, to the mix for kicks and grins.
>Wood was freshly chipped from logs from the wood pile. Although the
>chips/splinters would be immersed in alcohol they were soaked in
>sodium metabisulphite solution. Chips used were not toasted or
>charred. That is the next phase of testing.
> A 19% ABV sugar wash was run though a 36" column with copper mesh
>packing. It ran off at 95%. The alcohol was diluted to 45% using
>distilled water. Filtering was not necessary but for the sake of
>this experiment it was run though Prestige Stone Carbon (activated
>0.4 � 0.85 mm). The intent is for completely neutral spirit.
>
> Approximately 2 TBS were used per 1 Quart of 45% spirit. I
>typically use that amount of chips for 1 gallon.
>First week testing: Pictures are available. See Photos, `Woods
>Chips'
> 1. Cherry Wood- Light caramel color with a reddish hue. The wood
>flavor is very mild with a slight sweet aftertaste. I do not
>perceive tannin transfer or very slight. This may develop over time.
> 2. Maple- Some color transfer. More of a tint, not `water white'.
>Wood flavor almost not existent at this point. Some sweetness was
>present. No tannin perceived to have been transferred. The least
>flavor noted.
> 3. Lemon/Orange- (Both woods are intermingled on the wood pile. I
>am not able to tell the difference by appearance.) Color is a yellow
>hue. Slight fruit flavor (not citrus) transferred with a good finish
>that lingers. I think that this has promise as a stand alone
>flavoring but doubt that it will greatly influence other flavors if
>commingled.
> 4. Pecan- This is my greatest surprise. Caramel color. Strong
>pecan nut flavor as if sipping sweet pecan juice. Almost comes across
>as an aperitif. Tannin feel on the tongue is noted. I think that
>this has the best promise for blending. And this is just the first
>week.
> 5. Live Oak- Caramel color. Strong sweet wood flavor. Typical oak
>tannin perceived.
> 6. Hickory- Light caramel color. Very slight nutty flavor. Light
>tannin perceived. This may develop over time.
>
>
>Don't hesitate with comments, questions, or suggestions. (like this
>group would hesitate)
>
>
>Link
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Distillers list archives : http://archive.nnytech.net/
> FAQ and other information at http://homedistiller.org
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

The premise for this wood experiment is that I use woods for
grilling and slow cook (BBQing). I have a feel (taste) for the
transfer of smoked flavors into meats. I was wondering of the
ability to transfer flavors into spirits of the same wood. The
primary woods that I use are Hickory for grilling, Cherry, Lemon/
Orange, Maple, and Pecan for slow cooking. I've added Live Oak,
which is used in the fire place, to the mix for kicks and grins.
Wood was freshly chipped from logs from the wood pile. Although the
chips/splinters would be immersed in alcohol they were soaked in
sodium metabisulphite solution. Chips used were not toasted or
charred. That is the next phase of testing.
A 19% ABV sugar wash was run though a 36" column with copper mesh
packing. It ran off at 95%. The alcohol was diluted to 45% using
distilled water. Filtering was not necessary but for the sake of
this experiment it was run though Prestige Stone Carbon (activated
0.4 - 0.85 mm). The intent is for completely neutral spirit.

Approximately 2 TBS were used per 1 Quart of 45% spirit. I
typically use that amount of chips for 1 gallon.
First week testing: Pictures are available. See Photos, `Woods
Chips'
1. Cherry Wood- Light caramel color with a reddish hue. The wood
flavor is very mild with a slight sweet aftertaste. I do not
perceive tannin transfer or very slight. This may develop over time.
2. Maple- Some color transfer. More of a tint, not `water white'.
Wood flavor almost not existent at this point. Some sweetness was
present. No tannin perceived to have been transferred. The least
flavor noted.
3. Lemon/Orange- (Both woods are intermingled on the wood pile. I
am not able to tell the difference by appearance.) Color is a yellow
hue. Slight fruit flavor (not citrus) transferred with a good finish
that lingers. I think that this has promise as a stand alone
flavoring but doubt that it will greatly influence other flavors if
commingled.
4. Pecan- This is my greatest surprise. Caramel color. Strong
pecan nut flavor as if sipping sweet pecan juice. Almost comes across
as an aperitif. Tannin feel on the tongue is noted. I think that
this has the best promise for blending. And this is just the first
week.
5. Live Oak- Caramel color. Strong sweet wood flavor. Typical oak
tannin perceived.
6. Hickory- Light caramel color. Very slight nutty flavor. Light
tannin perceived. This may develop over time.

Don't hesitate with comments, questions, or suggestions. (like this
group would hesitate)

Link

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Link D'Antoni

Zymurgy, I 0NLY have a cord and a half of pecan on the wood pile at the moment... :-). I d be glad to ship you what you d like. Do you have means of

Message 6 of 13
, Sep 5, 2006

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Zymurgy,

I 0NLY have a cord and a half of pecan on the wood
pile at the moment... :-).
I'd be glad to ship you what you'd like. Do you have
means of splitting? I can drag out my 9 tons electric
splitter if need be.
Give me some info. You might do that in a private
mail, right?

> Ah Link,
>
> Yer a man after me own heart. What are the chances a
> guy could arrange some
> kind of swap for some pecan wood? And would y'
> happen to have some o' that
> Drambuie wood, too, while we're at it?
>
> Zymurgy Bob, a simple potstiller
>
>
>

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Link D'Antoni

Kim, I produced toasted and charred chips of each wood but the dog ate my home work. Really. My son brought his dog over and it scattered all my chips

Message 7 of 13
, Sep 5, 2006

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Kim,
I produced toasted and charred chips of each wood but
the dog ate my home work. Really. My son brought his
dog over and it scattered all my chips throughout the
yard.
I'll give that another go sometime this week.

Kim,
I produced toasted and charred chips of each wood but
the dog ate my home work. Really. My son brought his
dog over and it scattered all my chips throughout the
yard.
I'll give that another go sometime this week.

Thanks for sharing the info. I'm 15 years into this hobby, and I
still try different woods and charring and soaking techniques and...
and...

I tried mesquite once. Horrid. Appalling.

For grins, consider adding maple syrup at a rate of 5ml per litre
AFTER the wood soak.

In the beginners group I have a file posted on how I soak alco on wood.

Mark

Link D'Antoni

Mark, Yeah, i don t even cook with mesquite as the Texas boys do. To me it has a creosote finish/after taste. A friend suggest that I try some cedar that I

Message 10 of 13
, Sep 8, 2006

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Mark,

Yeah, i don't even cook with mesquite as the Texas
boys do. To me it has a creosote finish/after taste.
A friend suggest that I try some cedar that I have on
the wood pile. I don't want to waste the pint.
When I use the maple wood in smoking it taste like
maple syrup is pour over the meat. After the
completion of the woods experiment on the neutral
spirit I'll try the maple syrup. I wonder how maple
will do in my rum? hmmmm?

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Larry

... The best South Texas barbecue is actually made with a mix of 60% Mesquite and 40% Oak, for exactly the reason you mention. That s what nearly all the BBQ

Message 11 of 13
, Sep 9, 2006

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At 09:49 PM 09/08/2006, you wrote:

>Yeah, i don't even cook with mesquite as the Texas
>boys do. To me it has a creosote finish/after taste.

The best South Texas barbecue is actually made with a mix of 60% Mesquite
and 40% Oak, for exactly the reason you mention.

That's what nearly all the BBQ restaurants south of Waco use.

North of Waco, you they don't smoke it long enough, and use only pure Oak
or Oak mixed with a little Pecan, or Hickory sawdust.

If beef brisket is smoked correctly, a pure mesquite fire will flavor the
meat way too strongly, and in fact may put a thick "Smoke Crust" on it that
can even cause "Intestinal Distress"... it'll give you The Trots.

I couldn't imagine flavoring liquor with it. Like you said, you might just
well go out and shave some slivers off the nearest telephone pole, and
throw them into your jug to age.

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